Relevance of Social Stratification - 1272 Words

Social stratification is defined as the division of a society into a number of hierarchically arranged strata. Strata are the levels or classes in society which are layered in a structured hierarchy with the least privileged at the bottom and most privileged at the top. (Giddens, 1977) A society, or human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. (Lenski 1974) The question being asked, however, is to what extent social stratification is useful in society. To answer this question I am going to look at the concepts and systems of social†¦show more content†¦Aspects of their feudal past persist today. For example, a monarch still stands as Britains head of state and descendants of traditional nobility still maintain inherited wealth and property. Like Great Britain, Japan mixes both the traditional and contemporary in their social stratification system. (Haralambos et. al, 2004) For many centuries of agrarian feudalism, Japan was one of the most rigidly stratified cultures in the world. However, Industrialization, urbanization, and intercultural contact have dramatically changed Japan over the last century. For many though, tradition is still revered and family background continues to remain important in determining social status. Traditional male dominance, for example, remains well embedded. (Ibid) These are but a few examples demonstrating how social stratification continues to exist and apply in the current society.The three most common rewards on which social stratification is determined are wealth, power and prestige. According to Thomas (1995), an individual’s wealth is made up of his or her assets; that is the value of everything the person owns combined with the money earned through salaries and wages. In most countries today, wealth is concentrated overwhelmingly in the hands of the minority of the population (Thomas, 1995: 209-210) Power isShow MoreRelatedSocial Class Is Not As Important As It Once1042 Words   |  5 PagesIt could be argued that social class is not as important as it once was. Social class is a distribution of a civilisation on the basis of the economy or social status (Oxforddictionaries.com, 2015). Evidence supporting this idea can be found when examining traditional cultural aspects like stratifications. Stratification refers to an organisation by which a society ranks people into a hierarchy. Major forms of stratification include; Slavery, Caste and Estates. In today s society most of the extremeRead MoreThe Movie I Have Chosen For My Review949 Words   |  4 Pagesmistreatment of the Jews. This makes it of historical importance in understanding its social stratification value. 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